WH: We Didn’t Know al-Qaeda Was Involved Prior to Sept. 16

AWR Hawkins at Breitbart posted today that Jay Carney, White House Press Secretary, told reporters at the May 10 press briefing that they didn’t know al-Qaeda was involved prior to September 16, 2012. Well, given what Stephen Hayes wrote this past week in the Weekly Standard ,which was also mentioned by ABC News’ Jon Karl, it’s almost becoming shameless how the Obama administration continues to spin an event that is increasingly looking like a cover up. With the emails presented by Hayes, it shows that the administration knew there was an al-Qaeda connection.

CNN reported on May 4 that at least three members of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) were involved in the attack.

AQAP is regarded as one of the most active and dangerous of al Qaeda franchises. It has tried to launch several attacks on the U.S. homeland. On Christmas Day 2009, a Nigerian recruited by the group attempted to blow up a plane flying into Detroit but failed because his device malfunctioned. The following October the group attempted to blow up planes heading to the United States with printer bombs disguised as air cargo. The packages were intercepted after a tip from Saudi intelligence. And in April 2012, a British informant working for Saudi counterterrorism thwarted a new plot by the group to bomb a U.S-bound airliner. The informant had infiltrated the group and was selected by them to launch the attack.

AQAP was the first al Qaeda affiliate to comment on the Benghazi attack. On September 14 it released a statement arguing the attack was revenge for the death of Abu Yahya al-Libi, a senior al Qaeda operative, in Pakistan in June 2012. It did not claim responsibility for the attack.

On September 10 — at least 18 hours before the attack — al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, in a video timed for the anniversary of 9/11, called for attacks on Americans in Libya to avenge the death of al-Libi.

Then, there’s the infamous scrubbing of the talking points, which occurred twelve times, and excised the word “terrorism.” The first version presented on September 14 indicates that “Islamic extremists with ties al-Qaeda participated in the attack.” No wonder why Obama hates social media, especially since they’ve kept this story alive – and it isn’t going away. For a media savvy administration, it’s odd that they think they can spin this story, which cannot be spun, and in the process – made their situation infinitely worse.